In the Cold, Cold Winter

Slept in so late, I started off my day with brunch and Match Game '75. Buzzr jumped back to the first day of Carol Bartos' run. She went on to become the show's all-time winner at that point. Gene kicks off the episode goofing off with a smaller and heavier microphone than he normally uses. He's even happier with the top answer on "Gene __" in the Audience Match! Meanwhile, Dr. Joyce Brothers is very embarrassed by some of her answers. 

Headed out to run errands after that. Started off with my first visit of the year to the Haddon Township Library. They still haven't started their volunteering back up yet, and frankly, their selection, especially of mysteries and sci-fi, isn't that great. They never get the newest stuff in, either, or you have to wait ages for it. I did find an earlier book in Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries, Blood Orange Brewing, one of Elizabeth Peters' thrillers from the 70's The Night of the Four Hundred Rabbits, The Black Swan by Mercedes Lackey, and the most recent version of What Color Is Your Parachute? 

Needed a few things at Target on the way home. I'm almost out of B12 vitamins, so I grabbed a bottle. I accidentally stepped on and dented my dry erase board when I was redoing the schedule, and I've had it for a while anyway. Time to replace it. Picked up green grapes on a good sale. The line for self-checkout was insanely long when I joined it. Good thing they finally opened a regular line a minute or two later.

The line at Starbucks was nearly as long. By this point, the teenagers from the two high schools down the street and behind the Westmont Plaza were done and looking for warm drinks. Thankfully, the line moved pretty fast. I got to enjoy a chai tea latte, a vanilla bean scone, and a spinach-egg white-feta wrap while listening to their chatter.

Considered picking up a soda for the way back at Dollar Tree, but I finally decided I just wanted to go home. Besides, it was rush hour. Not the best time to be at the Westmont Plaza. It took me forever just to cross busy Cuthbert. Thank goodness I managed to cross during a lull. At least the weather remains decent. It's windy and a bit colder, probably in the lower 40's, but also sunny and bright.

Put everything away when I got home, then brought my laundry downstairs and went into writing and looking up things online. Debralee's shocked when she, Gene, the Nutcracker, and his men emerge into a white world. They're not even in Burbank anymore. The Nutcracker explains they're at the Forrest of the Snowflakes. Gene introduces the Snow Queen, who seems very familiar...

I got so caught up, it was past 7 before I put my laundry in the dryer and grabbed leftovers for dinner. Watched Match Game Syndicated as I ate. As he begins the Audience Match, the contestant calls on Patty Duke, calling her one of his favorite actresses...which prompts everyone else to walk off! Later on, Debralee Scott complains about her chair being broken or too low.

Took a shower, then brought up the laundry. Finished the night watching more of The Muppet Show on Disney Plus as I folded it. This time, I focused on jazz greats and vocalists seen during the fourth and fifth season. Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie is delighted to perform with the Electric Mayhem, but a noise auditor has been called in due to complaints about their rehearsals in the alley out back. Meanwhile, there's a new heckler in the box. Waldorf brought his wife Astoria, and she looks mighty familiar...

Everyone is on edge when Scooter brings in five million dollars worth of gold for guest star Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger" finale number. Not only are the Muppets nervous, but a security guard keeps accusing everyone of wanting to steal it. Needless to say, he's not thrilled with Bunsen and Beaker's attempts to turn a bar into something else, or the Muppet Newscaster announcing it to the world on the air.

Animal isn't the only drummer on the show when veteran drummer Buddy Rich appears...what little anyone could see of him, anyway. His episode is plagued by lights suddenly going out. "Veterinarian's Hospital" and the Newscaster do their skits by candlelight (or the latter tries to). Rich has rougher encounters with Piggy when they do martial arts together and Animal during a drumming duel in the finale. 

Andy Williams is more than happy to perform the theme from "Love Story (Where Do I Begin?)" for Piggy and Kermit when she tells him they're engaged. Unfortunately, no one told Kermit that. Backstage, the show is a lot cheesier than usual when they're best by roving packs of cheese who tell terrible cheese puns.